Center for Advocacy
Engage in experiential learning through courses and activities that simulate the practice of law, teach you advocacy skills, and connect you with legal professionals in the community.
Cincinnati Law’s Center for Advocacy provides law students with curricular and extra-curricular opportunities to hone their professional skills and build their networks. Originally established in 2001 as the Center for Practice, the Center for Advocacy is a dynamic center that adapts its offerings as legal education and the practice of law evolve. From trials to mediations to appeals, the Center has a rich history of providing students with opportunities to build and practice advocacy skills.
During law school, students can try out to participate in interscholastic competitions against law students from throughout the United States through our Moot Court and Trial Practice programs. These teams provide students the opportunity to practice advocacy skills in mock settings, giving studetns the opportunity to learn and refine their own skills in situations that mimic real-world disputes. The teams also connect students with attorneys and judges from the community who volunteer their time to coach and assist students as they prepare for competitions.
Students consistently mention these teams as among the most formative and beneficial experiences of their law school years, allowing them to hit the ground running upon graduation as they enter their legal careers. Many alums of the programs return to coach and mentor their successors, providing our students with a direct link to practicing attorneys who have months to years to decades of experience practicing law.
Regardless of whether they participate on competitive teams, all students can take advantage of courses in topics such as
client interviewing and counseling
trial advocacy and presentation skills
negotiation
mediation
mediation advocacy
pre-trial litigation skills
appellate advocacy
arbitration skills
We make the most of Cincinnati’s location so that you can interact and work with representatives from federal and state courts, leading law firms, businesses, prosecutor and public defense offices, and civic organizations.
Student Experiences
At Cincinnati Law, we believe that a well-rounded legal education, including instruction in and practice of advocacy skills, will serve all attorneys, whether they become litigators or pursue a different path.
The public’s general understanding of the legal system typically revolves around what they see or hear about on shows, movies, or podcasts, such as “gotcha” moments in a trial. The truth is that lawyers must advocate for their clients in any number of settings, including during disputes. But attorneys often find themselves pursuing their clients’ interests in other varied situations, from contract negotiations to boardroom presentations. We take a broad view of advocacy and endeavor to equip our students with the skills they need to advocate for their clients wherever they find themselves.
That is why Cincinnati Law offers multiple courses and experiential opportunities to help students learn advocacy skills.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in litigation (broadly defined to include dispute resolution within the courts and in alternative settings such as mediations or arbitrations), set up a time to meet with faculty and Center for Professional Development staff to plan your classes and experiential strategy.
The University of Cincinnati College of Law offers multiple trial practice courses each year, taught by faculty with extensive experience in the courtroom and the classroom.
The fall semester Trial Practice Competition course is designed for trial practice team students, selected through tryouts the previous spring. In addition to thorough grounding in all aspects of trial practice, students receive intensive individual coaching throughout the course. The course culminates in an interscholastic competition with an eye toward readiness for national competitions in future semesters.
The spring semester course similarly draws upon proven strategies for persuasive trial presentation and provides individual instruction and feedback but does not require participation in an inter-school competition. In some years, Cincinnati Law also offers a trial practice course that is specifically designed for students interested in criminal defense.
Cincinnati Law also offers related and advanced courses that teach students how to prepare witnesses, work with experts, and conduct pre-trial discovery.
Cincinnati Law offers you a wide range of options to help you build advocacy skills. Our simulated and real-world experiences help prepare you to practice as litigators and alternative dispute resolution practitioners.
They include:
Cincinnati Law’s Trial Practice Team national and regional competitions
Cincinnati Law’s Moot Court competitions
Cincinnati Law Clinics and Centers
Judicial externships with the U.S. District Court, the Ohio Court of Common Pleas, or other courts with criminal jurisdiction
Legal externships with a prosecutor's office, criminal defense organization, law firm, or in-house office of a company.
2Ls and 3Ls:
In your second and third years, you can obtain a legal intern’s license, which allows you to practice in court under the supervision of a lawyer. The intern’s license expands your pre-graduation practice options to include:
The Indigent Defense Clinic, where you can represent clients charged with misdemeanors in Hamilton County
Part-time law firm work (available in your second and third years with many of the 800 Greater Cincinnati law firms)
Volunteer opportunities with organizations, including the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (if you perform 15 or more hours of volunteer legal work, we will note it on your official transcript)